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Software · head to head

KORONA POS vs Swell Commerce

KORONA POS logo

KORONA POS

Software

Cloud-based retail POS system

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Swell Commerce logo

Swell Commerce

Software

Headless ecommerce for modern brands

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: KORONA POS inventory counts and stock management require the $79 Retail plan, so the $59 Core plan is checkout without stock control; Swell Commerce each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
  • They diverge on capability: KORONA POS covers Point of sale, Swell Commerce covers Headless architecture.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which KORONA POS and Swell Commerce actually diverge.

Attributes where KORONA POS and Swell Commerce differ
AttributeKORONA POSSwell Commerce
Founded20042019

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in KORONA POS

  • Point of sale
  • Employee management
  • Customer database
  • Sales analytics
  • Loyalty programs
  • Multi-location support
  • Mobile POS

Only in Swell Commerce

  • Headless architecture
  • GraphQL & REST APIs
  • Subscription commerce
  • Multi-currency support
  • Custom checkout
  • Webhook integrations
  • Developer-friendly SDK

Both cover

  • Inventory management

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

KORONA POS

  • Point of sale and inventory management for retail storesnot Swell Commerce
  • Multi location retail with stock control and reportingnot Swell Commerce

Swell Commerce

  • Running a headless commerce backend with APIs for a custom storefrontnot KORONA POS
  • Selling subscription products alongside one off purchasesnot KORONA POS
  • Operating multi currency stores from one commerce backendnot KORONA POS

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

KORONA POS

  • Inventory counts and stock management require the $79 Retail plan, so the $59 Core plan is checkout without stock control
  • Five separate modules are charged on top of the plan, at $10 per terminal for food service, $10 per terminal for invoicing, $50 per gate for ticketing, $30 per franchise and $45 per token for custom API integrations
  • Integration pricing is per token rather than per account, so several integrations multiply the cost
  • Advanced stock management and movement reporting require the $99 Plus plan

Swell Commerce

  • Each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
  • Starter at $29 a month allows 2 admin users and includes only 100,000 API requests and 1GB of storage per month
  • Additional API requests cost $5 per 100,000 and extra storage $5 per GB
  • Role based permissions and developer support are restricted to the Unlimited plan at $2,250 a month
  • Advanced reports and priced currencies require the Standard plan or higher
  • Published prices are the billed yearly rates, so monthly billing costs more

Pricing, plan by plan

KORONA POS

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 register
    • Inventory management
    • Basic analytics
  • Professional$79/month
    • Unlimited registers
    • Advanced inventory
    • Employee management

Swell Commerce

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Unlimited products
    • API access
    • Basic support
  • Standard$299/month
    • Everything in Community
    • Priority support
    • Advanced features
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Dedicated support
    • SLA guarantees

Which should you pick?

Choose KORONA POS if

  • You need point of sale.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want employee management.
KORONA POS review

Choose Swell Commerce if

  • You need headless architecture.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want graphql & rest apis.
Swell Commerce review

Questions people ask

Is KORONA POS or Swell Commerce better?
Neither clearly leads. KORONA POS starts at Free and Swell Commerce at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, KORONA POS or Swell Commerce?
KORONA POS starts at Free and Swell Commerce at Free.
Does KORONA POS or Swell Commerce run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use KORONA POS for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is KORONA POS best used for?
KORONA POS is most often used for point of sale and inventory management for retail stores, multi location retail with stock control and reporting. Of those, point of sale and inventory management for retail stores and multi location retail with stock control and reporting are not what Swell Commerce is typically brought in for.
What can KORONA POS do that Swell Commerce cannot?
KORONA POS covers Point of sale, Employee management, Customer database, Sales analytics. Swell Commerce covers Headless architecture, GraphQL & REST APIs, Subscription commerce, Multi-currency support. Both handle Inventory management.
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